chorizo recipes

Spanish Bean and Chorizo Casserole Recipe

A hearty winter casserole guaranteed to warm you, permeated with the irresistible flavour of Spanish chorizo. This bean casserole is simpler than the classic Fabada Asturiana, which demands four different cuts of pork, including morcilla, the traditional blood pudding.

Here the smoked pork flavour is given by the chorizo itself and a ham hock, but if you happen to have the bone from a Serrano ham left, with a few little bits of ham clinging to it, this would be an ideal use for it. In that case just add the bone to the pot with the beans and use water as the cooking liquid.

Ingredients:

400g dried beans, haricot, butterbeans (or, if you can get them fabada beans)

600g smoked ham hock

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon Spanish paprika

400g Spanish chorizo sausage

Soak the beans overnight in cold water.

Cook the ham hock with the bay leaves in enough water to cover, for about an hour at a steady simmer, until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove it from the water and retain the cooking liquid. Chop the meat, discarding any fat.

In a large pot, warm the olive oil then fry the onion and garlic until it is soft and translucent.

Add the drained beans, chopped meat from the ham hock, the chorizo cut into thick slices and the paprika. Stir everything well. Add about 1 litre of the ham cooking liquid and bring up to a steady simmer. Cook on a low heat for about an hour until the beans are soft and tender. Check how much liquid has been absorbed and add more if necessary during the cooking time.

Serve with bread.

Chorizo

Known for its rich red colour, equally delicious eaten in slices as tapas or used in cooking. Smoky, earthy, sweet with a gentle tang, Spanish chorizo has been a staple of Spanish cuisine for centuries.